TEI Encoding: the Monster and the Critics

This paper will respond to criticisms made of the TEI from various quarters, with particular attention to the issues of intellectual freedom for individual text encoders and the implicit structural and interpretive assumptions imposed by the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) and the TEI itself. Specific assumptions of SGML and the TEI will be discussed, together with their implications for users of the TEI scheme and with the mechanisms provided by the TEI for handling cases in which the fundamental assumptions of SGML do not apply. The resulting demands on software developers will be summarized.